This is a medium sized bonfire, wherein one DUmmy after another chimes in to describe imagined memories of people hating John Kennedy, and compare it to the dislike that decent and civiilized people express toward the Kenyan. Now, most of these DUmmies were small children, or not born, when Kennedy was assassinated, and all DUmmies are liars, but nevertheless, they all have vivid tales to tell.
I remember those days very well. The area I lived in was probably 75% democrat, but Kennedy won by a much smaller margin over Nixon due to mistrust of Catholics. As kids, we heard they prayed to statues, although we never met one. During Kennedy's administration, I would hear many older people, all democrats, express very strong dislike for Bobby Kennedy, not much for John. The war was a fresh memory, and JFK's war record brought him a lot of respect. Since our area was virtually 100% white, I'm sure the dislike for the Kennedys was much stronger elsewhere. When Kennedy was shot, the grief was nearly universal, though it did bring hope for the end of Bobby's influence.
Raven (1000+ posts) Mon Aug-03-09 05:58 PM
Original message
I do not remember this much crazy venom over JFK during his campaign or
after he was elected. I am 63 so I've seen some Presidents in my day. JFK was probably the only other President who elicited such bigotry, because he was Catholic and Irish. In the early '60 there was still a great deal of bias against Catholics in this country and the Irish were still portrayed as stupid, red-nosed drunks. During and after his election there was talk about the Pope running the US and there were many people who really believed that the first act of the JFK administration was to be the construction of a tunnel from the White House to the Vatican...really, people believed that.
In my view, JFK's treatment at the hands of the lunatic fringe pales with what Obama is experiencing and I worry. Communication is so much more advanced than it was in the early '60s...it is so much easier to incite some wingnut living in a basement collecting guns...I'm going to say what I know people here have to be thinking:
I pray for this man everyday, for his safety and the safety of his family. This country cannot afford to lose him and I think he is in great danger. As ridiculous as Olry Taitz is, as awaful as Rush and Glen are, they are reaching and inspiring very deranged and dangerous people. My hope is that the Secret Service know this and much more.
I'm sorry this is a bummer post but it has been heavily on my mind.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6211721Of course, DUmmy Raven is dealing in hogwash here. In Kennedy's day, nearly all the venom was directed toward the hateful, snotty little brother he installed as attorney general, and most of it came from democrats. Remember this was in the early sixties. The democrat party had not become the black party yet, and it had not yet adopted class warfare as its central tenet. Republicans were still Rockefeller country clubbers, and those wild-eyed crazies, the John Birch Society, wore suits and were epitomized by William F. Buckley.
Rather than spending time on posts about imagined memories, DUmmy Raven should devote herself more fully to making money. As the mother of an unemployed and unemployable middle-aged alcoholic son, she needs to concentrate on adding to the trust fund he is rapidly burning through.
NightWatcher (1000+ posts) Mon Aug-03-09 06:02 PM
Response to Original message
2. two reasons it is different now. 1. Obama is black. 2. Nutjobs use the net to get together
1. Okay, I know that Obama is only half African American, but no one sees the "white half".
2. Nutjobs who used to just sit and listen to hate via talk radio or holed up in a cabin in the hills now have the internet to get together as a collective hate-base.
DUmmy NightWatcher knows all about nutjobs getting together on the internet.
rurallib (1000+ posts) Mon Aug-03-09 06:07 PM
Response to Reply #2
8. Also, The media pushes or at least condones the virulent crazies
Not saying there wasn't some odd media in the '60s, but most was somewhat responsible.
Turn on any radio or TV anytime of day and you will find someone going after Obama in vile terms.
In the Sixties, all media outlets were spokesmen for the democrat party. They now condone virulent crazies like Keef, Tweety, and the carpetmuncher.
YOY (1000+ posts) Mon Aug-03-09 06:03 PM
Response to Original message
3. There was no internet then.
The internet is both a great and terrible place. Great ideas can be shared among those capable of sharing them...and idiotic movements can be started by those dumb, desperate enough to follow them (and unwilling to admit that they may be on the wrong track.)
Idiotic movements is right. The DUmp, MoveOn.org, the democrat party.....
villager (1000+ posts) Mon Aug-03-09 06:05 PM
Response to Original message
5. good point. Regionally, I think it was as bad, or worse. Like in, say, Texas
...where the "wanted for treason" posters were going up.
But yes, there was no internet so that the lunatics in the central California foothills, say, could get "together" -- even if virtually -- with the ones in Dallas. On the police force, or wherever....
TexasObserver (1000+ posts) Mon Aug-03-09 06:06 PM
Response to Original message
7. I do. The hatred toward Kennedy was just as bad.
Not talking everyone, but the real haters were just like these anti Obama freaks. They hated him with such a passion, facts didn't matter.
Still Sensible (1000+ posts) Mon Aug-03-09 06:13 PM
Response to Original message
14. Yes we had a lunatic fringe back then, too
but I think one of the BIG differences is that back in the early 60s that was the "lunatic fringe" and, while they hated Kennedy every bit as much as the current crop of losers hate the President now, that fringe is more mainstream thanks to people like Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, Coulter and the rest or the RW hate machine.
Having grown up in the 60's, it seemed to me like that lunatic fringe was smaller, too. I think you had the 10% far right wing maybe and the 5% that were Birchers and their friends... But now, the overall nutball fringe is well over 20% I think. They were assholes back then, just not as many of them. And a lot of bullshit that to the mainstream was not acceptable in 1962, is perfectly acceptable today.
No president in history has been threatened by a more maniacal lunatic fringe than George W. Bush. He handled it with grace and dignity.
SoCalDem (1000+ posts) Mon Aug-03-09 06:13 PM
Response to Original message
16. In the early 60's people were more localized
Most did not travel beyond their own states. Most people had not been to college. Most were blue collar.
There were only 3 tv stations and many people did not even have tv ..or if they did, they had ONE, in the living room.
our lives were simpler, calmer.
In the Sixties, nearly no one had ever been outside their own village. We huddled around buffalo chip fires, just hoping we would be spared by The Black Death. No one had been to college, and only the priests could read or write. I knew a guy who had been to the big city, and he claimed to have stood on the sidewalk and watched a TV in a store window.
DUmmy SoCalDem is running a good race to overtake DUmmy Beth Ferrari as the DUmbest DUmmy. He just needs to work on his Chavez worship.
